RAWALPINDI: Friday is the last day of the election campaign for cantonment board polls scheduled to be held on Sept 12 and cantonment authorities have asked candidates to end electioneering by midnight.

There are two cantonment boards in Rawalpindi including Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment boards; both have 10 seats each. However, the contest will be over 19 seats as election in one ward was postponed due to the death of a candidate.

A total of 187 candidates are contesting in the election; 110 are running for nine seats of RCB while 77 candidates are contesting election for 10 seats of the CCB.

The last local government elections for cantonment were held in 2015 after a gap of more than 15 years. In Rawalpindi, except for one seat won by Jamaat-i-Islami, PML-N won all 19 seats.

This time round, the main contest is between PML-N and PTI whereas the PPP has failed to grab the attention of people. Despite the fourth wave of Covid-19, the air was festive in almost every nook and corner of cantonment ahead of the polls. Banners inscribed with election symbols and pictures of candidates of almost every contesting party were seen hanging on poles and buildings.

Similar election activities are also witnessed in Lal Kurti, Kalma Chowk and parts of Chaklala.

Besides political activists, independent candidates have also been campaigning while engaging in door-to-door interactions with voters as they are relatively small in number.

Major parties planned public meetings in different parts of cantonment on the last day of electioneering. The ruling PTI planned its last public meeting on Peshawar Road at Chur Chowk.

According to the press release of PTI, former minister for health services and MNA from the area Amir Kiani arranged the meeting while Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, Federal Minister Murad Saeed, Minister of State for Parliamentary AffairsAli Mohammad Khan will also address participants of the meeting.

On the other hand, PML-N and PPP also arranged separate public meetings in Naseerabad and Tench Bhatta. Cantonment authorities asked candidates to end their election campaign by midnight on Friday.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2021